A Look at Authentic Leadership through the Eyes of Job
A Look at Authentic Leadership through the Eyes of Job
Darlene Davis | 2020
Abstract
The world is crying out for leaders, and, more specifically, authentic leaders. This book is a personal walk through the book of Job using the real-life experience of loss and tragedy to illustrate leading when there is no clear direction of where to go. The writing speaks to leading in uncertainty, despair, and hopelessness, all the while being made into an image created by Christ. Using Job’s experiences with his friends, his conversations with God, and his fight to maintain his integrity as a springboard into discussing authentic leadership. With all that is currently happening in the world today, people are looking for answers from leaders, but what should the leader say or do when it appears God himself has turned a blind eye to their plight?
The reader is challenged to take an inventory of their own life experiences of pain and view those pressures not as punitive but as authenticating. The story of Job is intricately woven into personal accounts of leader journeys which then segues into issues related to being transparent with idiosyncrasies of insecurity and fear of failure. The writing challenges the reader to imagine God’s conversation concerning their integrity when pressed beyond their limits. No one would volunteer for leading if they truly understood the cost of sacrifice, exposure, and transparency. Job’s friends and family understood his suffering to be both cause and effect. They believed as many do today, that pain and suffering are a direct effect of punishment of sin. The story of Job is used to illustrate a personal, transparent, and motivational look into authentic leadership from the perspective of passion. The reader will walk away, inspired, and motivated as the author examines the purpose of pain in the transformation of the authentic leader.